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Main Character Emma Vicencio Upon hearing this term, one can respond to it with the textbook definition of it being a central character within any story. Yet for adolescents, the term has taken an entirely new image under their glossary of common catchphrases. To put it in simple terms, being a “main character” revolves around this fantasy that you are the star of indie movie who is characteristically quirky, extroverted, and has an eccentric way of dressing (Racster, 2020). The term was introduced to TikTok in 2020 and has since become a trend after an audio snippet was released by Ashley Ward (Richardson, 2021). The audio emphasized the need for people to start romanticizing their lives and start thinking of themselves as the “main character,” which sparked interest amongst many people online (Richardson, 2021). Namely adolescents flocked towards this audio and began creating short videos that highlighted their best and most exciting moments. This phrase correlates to the experiences of adolescents, as it facilitates this desire for self-expression and feeling validated, especially online. As explained in Uses and Gratifications Sought by PreAdolescent and Adolescent TikTok Consumers, “within the pre-adolescent and adolescent age bracket, the most cited motives for producing content was linked to needs of self-expression, social recognition and fame-seeking…” (Christina and Kottasz, 2020). As adolescents continue to navigate the online world, they become more eager to experiment freely with their identity and presentation of the self. In a video uploaded by Matalin Racster, she described the “main character” as having unique qualities that puts you higher on the list of being important and seen (Racster, 2020). This in turn creates the idea that you have to